On Sunday 8th December 2024, Harry Rose—an expert on grasses and pasture plants of NSW—from the NSW Department of Primary Industries led a fantastic Grasses ID Workshop for 24 participants from the Macarthur region. Greater Sydney Landcare’s Vanessa Gimellaro, Local Landcare Coordinator – Macarthur Region, organised this workshop at the Wollondilly Community Nursery.
This workshop was part of a project delivered by Greater Sydney Landcare to restore the health and resilience of key catchment lands in the Wollondilly Shire as part of a partnership between Great Eastern Ranges and Amazon Web Services. The two-year project aims to improve water yield and quality, boost biodiversity and enhance the resilience of local communities to the impacts of climate change.
This one-day workshop brought together bushcare volunteers, Campbelltown and Wollondilly Council staff, local bush regeneration companies, land managers and Landcare groups.
Participants were trained to recognise introduced and native grasses in the Macarthur area by focusing on a few key features.
Harry Rose shared his decades of experience in intervention strategies, effective control techniques, and the cost-benefit of various approaches to weed control and native grass restoration.

Through hands-on activities, participants learned how to:
- Understand grass structure
- Collect useful grass samples
- Identify local grass species
- Access tools such as the Nature Mapr app to record future grass sightings
Everyone also walked away with a copy of Harry Rose’s Grasses of Coastal NSW, which will help them continue to build their knowledge in the field.
Thank you to Harry Rose and the workshop participants for increasing the skills and capacity to manage natural area restoration works and have a positive impact for nature in the region. Thank you also to Amazon Web Services and Great Eastern Ranges for supporting workshops like these that build much-needed community capacity.
If you’re interested in participating in similar workshops, follow us on our socials to stay updated on upcoming events and opportunities!
Get Involved Today
Are you in or around the Wollondilly Shire? You can be a part of the Restoring Catchment & Community Resilience project.
Join Buxton Landcare and get involved in upcoming conservation events in the Wollondilly area.
To discuss opportunities to get involved in the project, contact Vanessa – vanessa.gimellaro@greatersydneylandcare.org